Asia Tour: Bhutan–Where Is My Flying Tiger?

Hanya Yanagihara is in Paro, Bhutan, today—Day 18 of her grand Tour of Asia. Today, she climbs Bhutan's famed Tiger's Nest temple complex and then relaxes at Uma Paro hotel.

Location: Paro, Bhutan

What I did today: climbed Tiger’s Nest, the 17th-century temple complex that clings to a cliff 9,800 feet above the ground. The story goes that Guru Rinpoche, the patron saint of Bhutan and, Himalayan Buddhists believe, the reincarnation of the Buddha himself, flew to the site on his tiger in the 8th century (as, you know, one does). I kept looking around for my flying tiger, until it dawned on me that there was none forthcoming: I’d have to walk like a mortal. And walk I did, to the very top: it took three and a half hours to ascend and descend and my knees are now so sore that I can only assume two positions—supine and prone.

**My room with a view: **From the bedroom at Uma Paro (above), which is like your fantasy summer camp lodge but with amazing ginger tea. (I wish I had some right now but am unable to summon the strength to sit up.) See the fluttering prayer flags just outside? That’s one of the sights I’ll miss most about Bhutan.